1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to building components and to a method of assembling a building from pre-fabricated modular components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has long been a need for affordable, low-maintenance, building structures, particularly for commercial use. In the past quarter century, building construction costs on a cost per square foot basis have risen sharply. Consequently, in today's market, high building construction costs hinder many companies from building needed storage and warehouse facilities.
Conventional construction of buildings involves the erection of wood, metal or concrete framing. The exterior of the frame is generally covered with exterior paneling, bricks, stucco, rock, siding, or the like. Insulation is placed between the framing members, e.g., studs, and the interior of the frame is usually covered with gypsum drywall, plaster, interior paneling, or the like.
An alternative building construction technique, particularly useful for warehouses and other industrial buildings, involves forming the building walls from cinderblocks, bricks, or with a plurality of concrete panels which may be poured in place or preformed at a location other than the job site. The exterior side of the cinderblock, brick or concrete walls may or may not be covered with decorative paint or texture.
Considerable economies of scale can be achieved by the construction of buildings in modular fashion using prefabricated paneling in place of framing. The panels can be prefabricated in standard sizes by relatively high-speed automated factory manufacturing lines. The panels, which can be made from materials not subject to rot, weathering or insect attack, can be shipped to the job sites and simply assembled to erect complete structures. Generally, the lighter the panels are, the lower the costs are to transport the panels to the job site.
Several building systems exist which use modular interlocking components to form a building structure. Some interlocking modular building systems specify that a concrete-like mixture be poured within the assembled panels or other job-site procedure to fortify the structure. Other interlocking modular building systems sacrifice job-site fortification in exchange for lower limits of unsupported spans and building height. Other interlocking modular building systems attempt to strike a balance between these two extremes. Many interlocking panel systems also include a foam thermal insulation preformed in the panels for simplified building construction.
3. Identification of Objects of the Invention
One object of the invention is to provide a modular building system which is capable of being assembled into buildings not only of one story but also buildings having a plurality of stories without the need for a separate on-the-job-site fortification process and to provide the method of assembling a building from the system in order to quickly produce low costs single or multiple story buildings.
Another object of the invention is to provide a light-weight modular interlocking building system which is primarily constructed of thermally insulated plastic panels and which is capable of assembly into a building having multiple stories without the need for filling the panels with a concrete-like mixture or other on-the-job-site process to provide the needed strength to support multiple stories.
Another object of one of more embodiments of the invention is to provide a low cost construction technique in which portions of a building may be prefabricated in a factory using durable, long lasting materials which are not subject to rot, weathering or attack by insects.
Another object of one or more embodiments of the invention is to provide building components which are capable of low-cost factory manufacture and which may be erected to form an inexpensive building in a rapid and efficient manner using minimal on-site labor with minimal specialized skill and equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system of complementary interlocking panels and connectors which can be combined in nearly limitless ways to build diverse structures of one or more stories.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system of complementary interlocking parts which can be used to construct building floors, walls and roofs.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular interlocking building system which requires no special form of fasteners or use of specialized fastening tools.
Another object of the invention is to provide a low-cost flame-retardant ultra-violet resistant building capable of withstanding hurricane and earthquake shocks and characterized by a high floor loading capacity.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular building system having prefabricated thermally-insulated panels with internal strength members.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular interlocking building system particularly suited for multi-story warehouse and storage buildings.